The Next Road
by AwesomeSauce145
Summary: A year and a half after the events of "The First Step," the girls of the Tsukiko Squad are facing very real challenges. Maya, Shana, Eri, and Kuni are facing reality while trying to get themselves out of their stuck position in lower mid-tier B Rank. Amid this is Kaede, a new C Rank wanting his own path. Will these underdogs defeat their challenges or stay stuck where they are?
1. Chapter 1

**Tsukiko Squad 6**

* * *

"I can't believe it. I just can't." Maya Tsukiko couldn't meet her teammates' eyes. "After all the work we put in, after how well we did, we just… couldn't." She looked up at her best friends, tears licking the corners of her eyes. "How did this happen?"

Eri Asano sat next to her childhood friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "Maya, look at me." The redhead solemnly obliged. "I'm not sad. None of us are. We did our best, there was nothing more we could do. It's okay."

Maya sniffled out, "It's not okay. I let you guys down. I'm your captain, I'm supposed to be good for you guys."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kuni Ayugai said. "You didn't let us down, you never have! I wouldn't want anyone else to be my captain."

"Kuni's right," Shana Lee added. "Think of how far we've come! In the course of B Rank Wars alone, we've all gotten so much better. Kuni's been dedicating so much time to this, and got us the best info and strategy ever, all with a sense of humor! Eri here practically mastered on the fly shooting, she could totally give Nasu or Izumi a run for their money! I've gone from being the first person out to our "rock"! And you, Maya, you've been the best captain ever. You always keep us motivated, and with sick double sword skills, you're not too shabby in a fight either! So instead of thinking of all the bad you're feeling right now focus on the good!"

Maya gave her friends a sad smile. "You guys are totally right, and I know it. I just… I just don't want to accept that this is another year of nothing changing." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Things have been hard on me recently. I feel like I'm supposed to have everything figured out, I'm 18, but I just don't."

"We don't care what you think of yourself because we'll always think the best of you," Eri comforted. "We're your friends. It's what we do."

A knock came at the door to the Tsukiko Squad's operating room. Kuni opened it to find the lanky figure of Kaede, Maya's younger brother. She invited him in.

Kaede looked at his sister. "You okay? I know this is a rough loss but you guys fought great out there!"

Maya shook her head slightly, but said, "I'm fine."

"She's beating herself up about it, thinks it's her fault," Shana said, telling the full truth.

"Anything you want me to do for you?" he asked Maya.

She smiled genuinely and wrapped her brother in a hug. "I love you so much, you know that? You're the best."

Kaede smiled. "I know."

* * *

 **Hello again, everyone! So here it is, Volume 2 of my tale of the Tsukiko Squad! Hopefully, this will show off that I've grown as a writer since I last used these characters, and maybe show that they've grown with me, beyond just the year and a half time skip. Since I'll be updating in real time, if you have any suggestions or want to see your favorite characters or OCs show up, let me know! I hope you're ready to join me on another adventure because we've reached "The Next Road!"**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tsukiko Squad 7**

* * *

Maya took a deep breath. She was a little nervous to face her teammates, but she made her decision.

The door to the Tsukiko Squad's operating room revealed a very familiar sight. Eri was sitting cross-legged in an armchair, a clipboard with a homework worksheet on her lap. Shana was sprawled on the couch with her headphones on, air-guitaring along to whatever she was listening to. Kuni was focusing intently on something on her computer screen, probably a video game.

Eri glanced up at her team leader first. She smiled. "Nice haircut, Maya. It looks good on you."

Shana followed. "Wait, Maya got a haircut?" She took off her headphones and looked at the redhead. "The pixie cut actually really suits you, you look pretty badass."

Kuni noticed last of the three, but her reaction was probably the best. She practically jumped out of her chair and exclaimed, "Maya, oh my god, you look so awesome! You look like a character right out of a video game or manga! I love it!"

"Thanks, guys," Maya said. "I was honestly a little worried you guys wouldn't like it."

"Not that I don't like it, I'm just curious, but why the drastic change?" Shana asked.

"I've changed, so I wanted something physical to show that," she replied. "I haven't shown Kaede yet, I wonder what he'll think…"

"He'll probably love it, too," Eri reassured.

"Now that I think about it, you look a lot like the bassist from this band I like," Shana said. "You're both redheads, and you have almost the same haircut. You've got perfect punk hair." She held up a picture.

Maya shrugged. "I can kind of see that." She ran a hand through her side-swept bangs. "I'm still kind of getting used to it though. I move to twirl a strand around my finger and it's like, 'Wait, there's nothing there.' So I've resorted to repeatedly sweeping my bangs."

"Well, however it is, it looks great on you," Kuni said. "Makes me think I make some kind of stylistic change. Maybe dye my hair a different color or something?"

Eri chuckled. "Kuni, you've got enough style for all of us."

The operator laughed back. "I guess you're right. But I like the idea of a new start for us."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

A few days later, Kuni was the one with an announcement. From her seat at her computer, she exclaimed, "I've got it!"

"What now?" Shana asked. "Tell me now, is it good or potentially terrible?"

"Good!"

"I don't exactly trust you after the bubble gum hair incident."

Maya added, "And the time you splattered the entire operating room with paint trying to make a mural."

"You guys have too little faith in me!" Kuni whined. "What about all the dinners we have with Tamakoma?"

"I believe we can give you that," Eri said.

Shana sighed. "So what's your big thing this time then?"

"So I was thinking after Maya showed her haircut about change. You know, doing something physical to show that we've changed. I feel like we're starting a new chapter in our stories. So, to show that I designed us a new set of uniforms. I thought our standard red and black was getting a little boring," Kuni explained.

"Your announcement actually wasn't bad," Maya said.

"I told you guys to trust me! Anyway, do you want to see them?" Kuni waved them over to her computer. "So Maya, this one's yours." The digital model showed an olive green army-style jacket that reached about hip-length open over a black shirt, with dark gray pants, a belt with two sword holsters, and ankle-length black boots.

The redhead grinned. "That's awesome!"

"That kind of reminds me of my old uniform from the US," Shana remarked.

Kuni smirked. "You can call it inspiration. Here's yours, Shana." She switched to the next model. It had the same elements, but the jacket had camouflage detailing, rolled up sleeves, a folded collar, and was zipped up halfway.

"That might just be better than my US uniform," the blonde said. "Love the camo, by the way. Glad your announcement was actually good."

Kuni slumped her shoulders but moved on to Eri's, which had the same style as the other two, but with a fully zippered jacket, unfolded collar, and the addition of black gloves.

"I really like it," the shooter said. "Nice job, Kuni."

Smiling proudly, the operator proclaimed, "That's it, then. Consider us the new and improved Tsukiko Squad, and we're really to take on the world!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Kaede Tsukiko 2**

* * *

Kaede took in a deep breath, then knocked three times on the door in front of him. A girl maybe two years older than him, with long black hair held back by a silver barrette, opened the door with a cheery smile. "Hi, Kaede-kun. What do you need?"

"Oh, uh, hi, Taiyoko-senpai," the ginger said awkwardly. "I, uh, I'm looking for Takaoto-san."

Hoshi Taiyoko, Kotowari Squad's "princess" all-rounder, motioned in. "Mei-chan's here, you can come right inside."

As expected for an A Rank team, Kotowari Squad had a much larger operating room than Tsukiko Squad did, and each of the members was set up across it, doing whatever they were doing. They each gave Kaede their own form of greeting.

Takeshi Kotowari, team captain and up there with the best shooters in Border, simply met eyes with the younger boy and nodded curtly.

Suzumebachi Misaki, notable as both a Perfect All-Rounder and the Queen Of Shipping, was taking notes on Kaede's interaction with Hoshi. "Hmm… WakaHo may be canon, but there could be some potential chemistry between the two with overprotective older siblings!"

Both of the people in question flushed and looked away from each other. "Misaki-senpai, please don't…" Kaede said, flustered. "Do you not understand the concept of friendship?"

Dramatically, Suzume put her hand to her heart and fell over on the couch she was sitting on. "Kaede-kun, you wound me! I do, but romance is just so much more fun!"

Kaede sighed. "Good to see you too, Misaki-senpai."

"Hey, Kaede, what's up?" The scruffy American ace attacker, Toby Awdry, was a little more full contact. He hooked an arm around the ginger's neck and ruffled his hair.

He smiled. "I'm good, Awdry-senpai. Who'd you challenge to a battle today? Maya's still waiting for a rematch."

"I went a couple rounds with this guy from Tamakoma, Ketsueki, one of the polearm people. And your sister just doesn't give up, does she?" Toby replied.

"She says it's part of her charm."

At this time, Mei Takaoto, the (in)famous Ultimate Operator, made her appearance.

Kaede seemed to immediately regain his nerves. "Oh, uh, hello Takaoto-san. I, uh, want to ask you about something."

"What is it?" Her tone was unreadable.

"Can I, uh, talk to you in private?" The two stepped to the side. Kaede took a breath and ran back over what he wanted to say. "I recently joined Border as an operator trainee, but only because my sister wants to keep me out of harm's way. I want to be a combatant because I want to be able to protect myself and the people I care about. I'm not really a great operator or a great fighter, so people told me that if I want to learn from the best at both, I should come to you. So..." He took another breath and said, "Takaoto-san, will you please be my mentor?"

An unfamiliar look crossed her face before she looked him right in the eyes, her expression placid. "Are you aware of all your request entails?"

"Yes, Takaoto-san."

Mei smiled, making her expression much warmer. "I look forward to teaching you, Kaede-kun. Your lessons will start tomorrow."

His face lit up with happiness and relief. "Thank you so much, Takaoto-san!"

"You can call me Mei, that is my name after all."

"Oh, uh, thank you Mei-san!"

Kaede left Kotowari Squad's operating room still smiling.

* * *

 **Big thanks to TAT for letting me use his characters. I really hope I played them right, and if I didn't, feel free to tell me! I'm looking forward to doing more with Kaede here in Volume 2, I think he's going to shape up to be an interesting character (especially with Mei teaching him)!**

 **Also, I have a little preview of what's to come. Next chapter, I'm starting the first plot arc of Volume 2 with a newcomer and a battle. I have two of the chapters for this arc prewritten, so I'll probably post those in quick succession, but everything else will be new and original. Tune in next time to see what happens, and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Maya Tsukiko 5**

* * *

Maya was hanging around the Rank Battle booths, watching a few matches and watching for friends. She saw Yuki fighting someone she thought might be Minoru, but she wasn't sure.

Then she felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around to face a girl who looked around her age, with long, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hey, are you one of the agents here?" the girl asked in slightly clipped Japanese. It reminded Maya of when she first met Shana.

"Yeah," Maya replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you speak English?" the girl asked.

Maya, being as dense as she was, thought the girl was probably in her English class and wanted help, so she replied, "(Yes.)" It would be good practice anyway.

"(Great! Someone who understands me!)" The girl sounded relieved, then proceeded to ramble on in fast English.

"(I am sorry,)" Maya said. "(It is hard for me to hear you.)"

"(Oh, I'll just talk louder!)" the girl shouted.

"I can't speak English well!" Maya shouted back in her native tongue.

"Why didn't you say so?" the girl chuckled. "I speak Japanese too!"

"Oh, what a relief," Maya said. "I'm really bad with English."

"It's fine," the girl said. "Anyway, my name is Gabe Ryder. Or would it be Ryder Gabe? Japanese names make no sense! Anyway, my first name is Gabe, my last name is Ryder."

"Nice to meet you," Maya replied. "I'm Tsukiko Amaya. (Uh, Amaya Tsukiko.) But you can just call me Maya, everyone does."

"Alright, Maya," Gabe said.

"So what do you need?" Maya asked. "Are you lost or something?"

"Actually..." Gabe said. "I want to battle you."

"What?" Her statement caught Maya off guard.

"I'm a Border agent too," Gabe explained. She partially unzipped her sweatshirt, revealing a modified Border emblem on her shirt. "The US has a lot of branches if you didn't know."

"I did actually," Maya said. "I have an American friend."

"Oh cool! Where are they from?" Gabe asked.

"New York City."

"Oh, that's across the country from me," Gabe said. "I'm from San Francisco."

"Enough chatting," Maya said, a determined smirk crossing her face. "Let's battle already!"

"Not one to back down from a fight, eh?" Gabe said, her face matching Maya's. "I like you already."

"Booth 14 is open. We can use that one," Maya said.

As the two girls walked towards the booth, Gabe asked, "Hey, mind if I choose the setting?"

"Knock yourself out," Maya said, internally thinking, An odd thing to ask, but I got this anyway.

Both girls were beamed in randomly. Maya straightened her jacket and took both Kogetsu from her belt.

It was at this time, as an electronic voice counted down, "3, 2, 1..." that Maya realized the setting. A Cityscape, she couldn't tell which, on a dark, cloudy night with little light. Visibility was horrible. Why would Gabe choose this setting?

Suddenly, a shock of pain shot through Maya's side, and she saw the leak of Trion. Was Gabe a shooter? She hadn't seen the tail, so the shoot had to had to have come from her right, where the wound was. Maya ran down a street section, the only light her swords. Another Trion bullet hit Maya in the back, a bullet going right through her chest. She yelled a panicked, "What?" before being brought back in a new location.

The electronic voice read, "Tsukiko down."

* * *

 **This marks the beginning of what I like to call the Newcomer Arc. I'm looking forward to this one, as I'm revisiting an idea from the end of my first run, but with my more mature and defined style. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Gabe Ryder 1**

* * *

Toby, Shana's friend and fellow American, was in the battle booth area scouting out his next opponent and happened to notice the redheaded captain of his friend's squad battling some unknown girl. He took a picture of the screen and texted Shana.

 **Werewolf:** You're gonna want to see this

 **American Idiot:** What is Maya doing? Who is that?

 **Werewolf:** The scoreboard nameplate says Ryder. Definitely American. I got a picture of her emblem, you know it?

 **American Idiot:** She's from California, but I can't read the city. On my way down. I'm calling you.

"Hey Toby," Shana said, walking as fast as she could. "You said the name's Ryder?"

"Yeah, ever heard it?" Toby asked.

"Actually yes. There's a national champ in Ranked Battle named Gabe Ryder, never met him though," she replied. "This chick could be his sister, maybe."

"Ranked Battle national champ, huh? I think this girl owes me a match, and definitely her brother too."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself," Shana said. "I'm here, let's talk in person."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the arena, Maya had been defeated two more times. She had two rounds left to get a hit on Gabe.

The only problem was, she was fighting blind. The dark setting was messing her up. She had determined that Gabe was an all-rounder because she had shot Maya early on, but the two had gotten into close combat after Gabe came to Maya, two Scorpion swords in hand. Maya did wonder how the darkness wasn't hindering Gabe, and why she picked this stage.

But now it was Maya's turn to fight. She knew she couldn't win, but she at least wanted to land a hit and score the points she could.

Gabe must be hiding up on a building in a shooting spot, so Maya climbed her way up. On the building next to her, Gabe stood, her back turned. Maya jumped across and landed with a soft thud.

But it was enough for Gabe to take notice. It was then Maya got a clear look at Gabe's weapon. It was a bow, made of the same glowing Trion as any weapon. Gabe had it pulled back, an arrow made of Trion aimed towards Maya. Gabe smiled and released the arrow.

Maya managed to dodge, but not quick enough. The arrow grazed her side and began leaking Trion. Gabe then took her bow and split it into two swords, preparing for the fight to once again go close.

With both combatants using dual swords, the sword fight was dramatic and difficult, harder than plenty Maya's had before, including the four-way fight against Murakami, Yuma and Yuko. But unlike that fight, this would be one Maya would win. She caught Gabe off guard by spinning, moving to another side, and parrying an attack. With one well-placed strike to the back, Gabe was down.


	6. Chapter 6

**Gabe Ryder 2**

That win was the only one Maya would get as Gabe finished up their match with merciless attack after merciless attack. The redhead left the booth dejected and found Shana and Toby waiting outside.

"Nice fight," Shana said.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, for her."

"I mean, she was good. Probably could give me a run for my money," Toby said with a shrug. "Who was that anyway?"

"Some American," Maya replied. "She said her name was Gabe Ryder, do you know her?"

"I'm making sure I heard you right, her name is Gabe Ryder?" Shana asked.

"Yeah, that's what she told me."

The blonde sighed. "Oh man, Maya, no wonder you lost! You were way over your head, you just battled the US national champion!"

In comparison to Shana's reaction, Toby was grinning. "This chick owes me a round."

The person in question made her way over to the trio. "Hey, Maya, nice fighting. You make a decent opponent," Gabe said. She held out a hand for a shake, which the redhead took. Gabe looked at Shana and Toby. "Are you guys her teammates or something?"

"I am, he's not," Shana replied.

"Cool," she said. "Do either of you speak English? I'm Gabe Ryder by the way."

"(I'm Toby Awdry,)" he introduced. "(Both of us speak English.)"

"(Nice. I thought you guys looked American, you're too tan. Where you from?)"

"(Los Angeles. She's from New York.)"

"(Sweet, I'm from San Francisco.)" Gabe turned to Shana. "(And I don't think I caught your name.)"

"Shana Lee," she replied. "(Nice to meet you.)"

"(What are the odds I meet two Americans at the original Border in Japan)?" Gabe said with a chuckle. "(Any chance you're related to Henry and Veronica Lee? You know, the directors of the New York City Border branch? I know it's a common name but Border's a pretty small world.)"

Shana smiled. "(They're my parents.)"

"(I thought you looked familiar! It's nice to meet a fellow US agent! Toby, are you one too? I know some people from LA.)"

He replied, "(I am here. I didn't do it back home because my parents had their hands in it.)"

"(Wait, you're not Molly and Henry Awdry's older son, are you?)" Gabe asked.

"(Unfortunately yes.)"

"(Small world, huh? I know both of your parents in the US and then I meet you guys here in Japan!)"

"Guys! I can't understand a word you're saying!" Maya whined. "Don't leave me out!"

The three Americans laughed.

"(If you hadn't found out already, she's terrible with English,)" Shana said.

"(Yeah, I saw,)" Gabe replied with a smile.

"We're not saying anything interesting, trust us," Shana explained. "Just three Americans connecting."

"(Now,)" Toby said, "(I've got an offer for you.)"

Gabe smirked. "(Lay it on me.)"

"(How'd you like to challenge the ace of an A Rank squad and a high-ranked attacker?)" His facial expression matched hers.

"(Oh, you're on! Let's go!)"

As the two ran back towards the battle booths, Maya asked Shana, "What are they doing now?"

Shana replied. "Toby challenged Gabe to a battle."

The redhead captain shook her head. "He doesn't know what he's getting into."

* * *

Before they entered the booth, Gabe asked Toby the same question she asked Maya. "Hey, is it okay if I choose the stage?"

"We should just set it on random. I want an even playing field," he replied.

"Fair enough," Gabe said. "If you really want it even, we should declare our stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what Triggers you use, if you have a Side Effect, et cetera."

"Oh, okay," Toby said. "My Side Effect is enhanced reflexes. My main Trigger doesn't really have a name yet, but it's two combat knives that are basically just smaller Kogetsu. I've also got Scorpion, Teleport and Special Teleport, and Grasshopper."

"You sound like a guy who focuses on agility and speed and stuff, so this should be fun," Gabe said with a smile. "My main Trigger is an American thing we call Huntress, it's a bow and arrow that can split into two swords. I've got Asteroid, Meteora, and Hound for arrows, plus Chameleon and Grasshopper. My Side Effect is a little hard to explain, but basically, it's like night vision crossed with radar. I can always see where my opponent is, even if visibility is terrible or they're far away." She held out a hand. "I'm looking forward to this. May the best fighter win."

Toby took it and shook. "May the best fighter win."

* * *

 **Note: Text in parentheses (like this) is meant to signify English. The dialogue in the last portion is meant to be all in English, but I really don't want to put parentheses around everything.**

 **This took way too long to put out there, I apologize for that. I had my word count and didn't even realize it, so I was half freaking out about how I was going to write the battle. I'm still doing that, but I can put that off for the next chapter. Since I mentioned my word count, and since Monkey pie225 said that my chapters are "short and sweet" (thanks for the review by the way!), I'll say that I like my chapters to be about 500+ words. I try to focus on keeping things short and fast, but still at as high a quality as I can do, so I hope I'm accomplishing that. Thanks again to TAT for letting me use his characters, and thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing! I'll be back in probably like a month with the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gabe Ryder 3**

* * *

Gabe and Toby were beamed into the randomly chosen stage, which happened to be Riverside B on a windy night. The stage was laid out with a city on one side of a river and a port and highway on the other side, with the sides being connected by a bridge. The two fighters were divided, with Gabe on the port side and Toby on the city side.

Gabe smiled, talking to herself. "Thanks, randomizer! If only you could've made the bridge red…" She scanned the area around her, looking for the mark in her vision that would indicate Toby's location. She spotted him on top of a mid-rise flat top building, across the river from her. "He's only an attacker, so I have the advantage. He probably knows that, but he seems pretty unpredictable, especially with enhanced reflexes and Teleport, so how he reacts to that will be the biggest decider of the outcome. I'll have to be careful with my firing since he'd probably be able to trace it back. Maya was a low B Rank, and this guy's a decent A Rank, so I can't just use the same strategy."

Toby wasn't a person who tended to think over things heavily. He had spawned on top of a building, so he had a pretty good view of the city area, despite the reduced visibility. He didn't see Gabe anywhere on this side, so he assumed she was on the other side of the river and began jumping across buildings towards the bridge. As he ran, Toby worked out a rough strategy. _She obviously can see me, so she knows I'm looking for head-on combat. I'll have the upper hand in that since she seems more shooting focused from her battle with Maya. She'll probably try to avoid going close-combat as much as possible, so I'll have to watch for her shots to find where she is._

Back across the bridge, Gabe took notice of Toby's movement and also began running towards the bridge. "Let's start this thing off with a bang!" She pulled her bow off its spot on her back and pulled back a Trion arrow, letting it loose as she reached the bridge.

The arrow landed a few yards from the edge of the bridge, right at Toby's feet, with an explosion of smoke. The fog was enough to obscure Toby's vision, allowing Gabe to launch a second arrow without him seeing. The attacker's enhanced reflexes allowed him to dodge the projectile, but not without a slight graze on his shoulder. Gabe had drawn first blood.

Toby smiled. "I see how it is." He took off at a sprint across the bridge. _She sees me, but I know I can catch her off guard. She'll probably go on the defensive, so I just have to get creative._

Gabe started running as well, but not towards her opponent. She got off the bridge and hung a left, but not before activating Chameleon. _I've gotta get him before he gets me. I bet he's not expecting me to stay offensive, so if I can get in a good spot for a stab or a shoot without him finding me, I've got this._

Toby stopped short when he saw Gabe activate the invisibility Trigger. "C'mon man, don't be a coward," he teased. "We haven't even touched blades yet and you're already running?"

Back on the bridge now and heading towards Toby, Gabe thought, _I like this kid, he's got a sense of humor._ After settling comfortably behind him, she took out her bow and split it into two blades, then launched a strike towards his back, which he dodged with ease, not even looking at her.

"There you are," Toby said. He launched a simple stab towards her, which she deflected with one of her blades. It wasn't meant to cause damage, it was just an act to get some movement going.

Gabe anticipating another strike, likely a real one, moved backward, but Toby made no motions towards her, catching her off guard. He simply rolled his neck and stretched his arms. "What are you doing? You stalling or something?" Gabe asked.

"Can a guy not stretch himself out or something?" he replied. "You kept me inactive for so long my arms were falling asleep."

She chuckled. "I like you, kid, so let's do it your way."

"You sure about that?"

"Why not? Show me what you got."

Toby shrugged. "Your choice." He then disappeared and reappeared right next to Gabe, striking quickly to land a hit on her arm. He was going for her "box," the chest and torso area, but she had brought up her arm to block.

Gabe smiled and struck back, and from that point, it turned into a hectic swordfight. Neither had a particularly long range, so they were in each other's faces, landing only minor gashes as both combatants avoided, blocked, and dodges most strikes.

Gabe got a good hit on Toby when she fired off a close-range Asteroid from a Shooter cube, which hit him right in the face. Everything above the neck and to the left of his nose was leaking large amounts of Trion.

Despite the serious injury, Toby got the first takedown of the match. To this point, he had been fighting solely with his combat knives, but that wasn't what the attacker, ace of his squad, was known for. His greatest strength was his somewhat unorthodox use of Scorpion, which he was saving for the right moment to use on Gabe. That moment finally came when she got behind him, ready to literally stab him in the back. In the split second between her regripping her blade and her strike, Toby brought a Scorpion blade out of his back, skewering Gabe right through the chest.

" _Ryder down_."

* * *

 **Hello again, everyone! Guess what, I'm not dead! I'm really sorry there was such a long delay for this chapter. I said a month and it turned into two and a half! Honestly, I was really nervous to write this chapter. I'm not very good at writing battles/action scenes, and I always feel like I get other people's characters wrong (thanks again to TAT for letting me use Toby!), so of course, this chapter was two of the exact things I'm awkward with. I tried my best, and if you think I need work and have any suggestions/advice, let me know! Beyond the awkwardness, I was away for a good part of this time, and then I'm just a huge procrastinator... Honestly, I have a laundry list of excuses and none of them are any good. So to hopefully make up for it, this chapter is about double the size of my usual ones. Hope you liked it, and I'll hopefully have the next one out much quicker! Thanks for your support by reading this!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Shana Lee 3**

* * *

 **Note: Just assume all conversations among the Americans are in English. When there's anyone else involved, the conversation is in Japanese, unless noted by (parenthesis like this).**

* * *

After ten rounds, Gabe and Toby came out of the battle booth all smiles and high-fives. Gabe had defeated Toby six to four, although he put up quite a fight.

"Nice fight, man," Gabe said. "It's been a while since I've had a good challenge."

"You too," Toby replied.

Shana stood up and made her way over to her fellow Americans. "That was sick, both of you!" she exclaimed. "Like, that seventh round bout, you guys were moving so fast I couldn't even follow it!"

"Thanks," Gabe said. "I still got plenty more where that came from if you want a go."

"Oh, no way, I wouldn't stand a chance," Shana replied.

"You're Andie Morgan's protege, right? She may be insane, but she's good, so you can't be _that_ bad."

Toby egged her on as well. "C'mon, Shay, what's one battle?"

Shana glared at the scruffy boy. "You just want to see me get my ass kicked." She turned back to Gabe. "While I appreciate the interest, I'm gonna pass. I'm not like my impulsive captain or my idiot friend here. I know my limits."

"Hey, can't argue with that," Gabe said. "I do want to see you fight sometime. Reaper users are always interesting."

"My team has a Rank Battle in two days, you can catch us then," Shana responded. "But until then, would you be interested in finding a place to eat and talk? I haven't been home in months, I'd love to know what's going on."

Gabe shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I've been looking to try some authentic Japanese food since I got here."

Shana smiled. "I know just the place."

The two American girls wound up at a small, hole-in-the-wall type restaurant. Shana ordered for both of them, then turned back to Gabe.

"So. What's been going on back home?"

"Depends what you want to know," Gabe replied. "With Border stuff, nothing too huge. There was almost an invasion in Chicago like a month ago. There was no actual attack, but the reason why was hilarious."

"What?"

"So it was one of those polar vortex snowstorms at the time, and there was wind and snow everywhere. And I guess the Neighbors must've been from some kind of tropical beach world since they took one look at the snow and ice and headed back through the Gate!"

Shana chuckled. "Hey, I'd want to avoid a Chicago winter too!"

"Oh, and they opened up a branch in Texas, got bases in all the main cities," Gabe said. With a laugh, she added, "I'm pretty sure the entire branch is literally just Gunners though."

Shana smiled at that.

"Yeah, but otherwise it's been pretty chill. Tournament season ended just before I made my way over here. I was national champ, third year in a row, but you seemed to know that already. Alyssa Collins held top Attacker. Victoria Silva was top Shooter and Eric Matheson was top Sniper, both of them for the first time. And no surprise, Tristan Oliver was top Gunner."

"Sounds like an interesting year."

"Yeah, it was. They were all great fighters, absolutely deserved the titles. Victoria actually almost had me, we were tied after ten rounds, but I got her in the bonus round." Gabe turned to Shana. "Did you ever compete in the tournament?"

"Never the national, but I did some East Coast stuff," Shana replied. "It was mostly Andie's doing. We'd be sparring one day and she'd be like, 'Oh yeah, I signed you up for the Boston Tournament.' I agree with you one hundred percent, she's insane."

"Boston Tourney, nice. How'd you do?"

"I got knocked out in the semifinals of the attacker rounds. And I only got that far because your standard Scorpion or Kogetsu user had never fought a Reaper user before."

"Like I said, you guys are interesting fighters."

At this point, their food came. After they had eaten a bit, Shana posed Gabe another question.

"So what brings you all the way to Japan?"

"Little bit of research, mostly to find new opponents," Gabe replied.

"Is that why you were so battle-happy?"

"Exactly. I'm already the best in the US. I want to be the best in the world."

"Best in the world, huh? That's ambitious."

"Hey, shoot for the moon, if you don't you'll land among the stars and all that shit." Gabe smiled. "This has been pretty fun. You're a good conversation partner. And this food is amazing."

"You too. And I had a feeling you'd like it," Shana said. "If you want, when we finish eating, we can head back to the base, and I'll give you a tour and introduce you to some people."

"Sounds good!"

They finished their meal, then made their way back to the Border base. Shana pointed out landmarks and important areas as she led Gabe through the base. The ended up at the operating room for Tsukiko Squad.

"And here's where my team hangs out," Shana said. "You should come in, I'll introduce you to Kuni and Eri."

Gabe shrugged. "Why not?"

Inside, Shana and Gabe found Kuni seated at her computer, frantically typing on her keyboard.

"Come on, go!" she shouted into a headset. Suddenly, she groaned and slumped back dejectedly in her chair. Then she noticed the other two girls.

"Oh, hi Shana."

"Hey Kuni," she replied. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! My current opponent is just really frustrating." She looked at Gabe. "Who's your guest?"

"This is Gabe Ryder. She's the US national champ in Rank Wars," Shana introduced.

"Oh cool! I'm Kuni Ayugai, operator for Tsukiko Squad! Nice to meet you!" She held out a hand.

Gabe shook it. "You as well."

"Where's Eri?" Shana asked Kuni.

"She and Take-kun are 'talking strategy,'" the operator replied, using air quotes.

Just then, the shooter in question decided to make her appearance.

"Oh, hey Eri," Shana said. "How was your date?"

Eri glared at the American but flushed slightly. "It wasn't a date." She noticed Gabe. "Who's she?"

"Eri, meet Gabe Ryder, US national Rank Wars champ. Gabe, meet Eri Asano, Tsukiko Squad's very own Shooter extraordinaire."

They both exchanged a polite "Nice to meet you."

"Are you the American Maya challenged?" Eri asked.

"That would be me," Gabe replied. "Though to be fair, I challenged her."

"That's refreshing. She's notorious for challenging anyone she can."

"Hey, she wasn't that bad." Gabe shrugged. "I just beat her easily."

It was at this time Maya entered the operating room. "What's going on here?" she asked, noting the presence of Gabe.

"Oh, Maya, you're here now, perfect!" Shana turned to her team and to Gabe. "I have a proposition for you guys, and for Gabe."

"Go on," Eri prompted.

"Okay, so Gabe, you're here for fighting experience. Challenge some more people on your quest to become the best in the world and all that. And we as Tsukiko Squad want to do better in B-Rank Wars so we can make it to A-Rank, or honestly, just make it to the upper tier. So I have an idea to address both of our goals." Shana grinned. "Gabe, you should join our squad."

Gabe smirked. "(I'm intrigued.) What else?"

"Think about it! You can get experience fighting people here through the B-Rank Battles, and since you're literally the US national champ, you can help us get better, both by helping train us and by fighting with us!"

"You make a good point, Shana," Eri noted. "Maya, as captain, what do you think?"

"Let's do it!" Maya exclaimed. "Gabe, you're an amazing fighter. It would be incredible to fight with you instead of against you."

Kuni added, "We'd love to have you on the team. We're a bit quirky, but I think you'd fit right in."

"(Oh, what the hell,)" Gabe said, her face splitting into a grin. "I'm in."

"Alright!" Shana exclaimed. "Gabe Ryder, welcome to the Tsukiko Squad."

* * *

 **Hello again everyone! It's been a while, I know. I'll admit, I procrastinated writing more of this for so long, mostly because I just didn't want to write that Toby vs. Gabe battle (sorry if you were looking forward to that!). But hopefully, this interesting development made up for it! How will the addition of Gabe affect the fighting and team dynamic of the Tsukiko Squad? Find out in another undefined period of time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kaede Tsukiko 3**

* * *

"Um, Mei-san? Are you sure about this? I don't think I'm ready yet." Kaede looked up at his mentor from his seat behind the operating console.

Mei smiled at him warmly. "You're going to be fine, Kaede-kun. You've been working very hard." She added, "Plus, my team needs to learn to rely on me less. This will be good for all of you."

"But what if I mess up?"

"Then you'll learn from it. Mistakes happen, things you didn't expect happen. You do the best you can and you learn from it. Okay?"

Kaede took a shaky breath. "Yeah. I'm just really nervous."

"It's okay to be nervous sometimes, but you don't need to be now," Mei said. "Take a deep breath and focus on what you're doing."

Kaede did as she directed. "Okay." He turned on his comms and said, "Kotowari-senpai, Misaki-senpai, Awdry-senpai, Taiyoko-senpai, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Toby replied.

Takeshi simply said, "Yes."

"Gotcha, Kaede-kun," Suzume said.

"I hear you, Kaede-kun." Hoshi added, "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Taiyoko-senpai," Kaede replied. "Good luck to you all too!"

"Nah, we don't need luck, we've got this," Toby said.

A notification pinged on Kaede's console. "Okay, Kazama Squad is ready. Are you guys?"

"We are," Takeshi replied.

"Let's do this!" Suzume exclaimed.

Kaede entered a few things on his console, then a countdown began. "Three… two… one… start!"

What had just begun was a practice battle between Kotowari Squad, who was being operated by Kaede, and Kazama Squad. It was orchestrated, of course, by Mei, who wanted to challenge her protegé and her team.

As the battle began, Kotowari Squad's four combatants situated themselves throughout the stage. Suzume had planted herself in one of the stage's many trees to get a good vantage point for sniping. Takeshi was positioned in a particular area, waiting for the fight to come to him. Completely the opposite, Toby had taken off in pursuit of fighting action. Hoshi was somewhere in the middle of the three of them.

The first action of the battle occurred not too long after the start, with Toby clashing with Kikuchihara. The fight expanded from there, with Kaede dutifully reading Takeshi, Toby, Suzume, and Hoshi statistics and information as it went on.

In the process of inputting a command into his console, Kaede hit a stray key. A few seconds later, Suzume watched as the tree in front of her seemed to sink into the ground. "Is the stage glitching or did you hit something?" the sniper asked Kaede.

"Ah, sorry, Misaki-senpai," he said. "I didn't realize this was an interactive stage."

"Honestly, no worries, Kaede-kun," Suzume replied. "That honestly helped my view!"

Not too long after, Toby, who had been squaring off with Kazama, lost his opponent. "Damn," he said. "How they use Chameleon is so annoying." Being left tense for a few minutes with no combat was definitely boring the American, to the point that he let out a yawn. That was the perfect opportunity for Kazama, who reappeared behind Toby and launched a strike. It wasn't nearly fast enough for Toby and his enhanced reflexes, who blocked the jab behind his back, sustaining only a small gash on his left arm. Despite the minor injury, Toby grinned. "About time."

The battle continued to pass. Suzume was careful with her sniping; Takeshi was not, rapidly firing his lasers in the direction of Kazama Squad. Hoshi tended to support her teammates instead of challenging an opponent head-on, which was Toby's specialty.

In the middle of this battle, almost out of nowhere, Kaede's raised voice echoed through the Kotowari Squad comms. "Takeshi, behind you!"

The captain of Kotowari Squad reacted quickly, firing off a laser behind him. When he turned around, he found Utagawa with a large hole in his chest. The Kazama Squad member subsequently bailed out.

"Ah, sorry, Kotowari-senpai!" Kaede apologized. "It was quick and I got used to my sister's squad calling you by your first name. My sister and Kuni-senpai tend to be informal, Shana is American, and Eri-senpai is your girlfriend, so…"

Takeshi sputtered, before clearing his throat and composing himself. "It's okay, Tsukiko."

"Wait, Kaede, how did you know that there was someone behind Take?" Toby asked. "Don't people using Chameleon not show up on operator consoles?"

"Uh, it wasn't on my console," Kaede said. "I just kind of… knew?"

"You just knew?" Mei asked for clarification.

"Yeah, I, uh, saw it in my head really quick. With Takeshi getting attacked by surprise from behind. And you always told me to trust my intuition, so I did?"

Mei's expression was pensive, but she didn't say anything else.

The battle ended a few minutes later, a victory for Kotowari Squad. Kaede turned to his mentor. "So how did I do?"

Mei smiled warmly. "You did great, Kaede-kun."

"Yeah, Mei's right, you were sick!" Toby, who had just exited, clapped the younger boy on the shoulder.

"You were really helpful," Hoshi said with a smile.

In place of verbal encouragement, Suzume practically tackled Kaede with a hug. He coughed when she finally let go.

Takeshi offered a handshake. "Good job, Tsukiko."

Kaede shook it. "Thank you, Kotowari-senpai. And thanks to the rest of you, too."

The team paired off to talk about their battle. Mei tapped Kaede on the shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

When she had brought him to just outside the operating room, Kaede asked, "What is it?"

Mei answered him with a question of her own. "Do you know what a Side Effect is?"

"Yeah. People with a lot of Trion have a special skill," Kaede replied. "Like my sister, who's really good at reading body language, or Shana, who has really good vision."

"Right. I want to talk about that moment when you predicted Takeshi would be attacked from behind," Mei said. "I believe that was a manifestation of your Side Effect."

Kaede looked confused. "Why would I have a Side Effect?"

"High Trion is often genetic, so it's likely that you do, since your sister does," Mei explained. "Have you ever gotten your Trion levels tested?"

"No, since I've just been in the operator program."

"We'll do that during your lessons tomorrow."

Kaede still seemed confused, but he shook it off. "I should go, my sister is probably looking for me. Thank you, Mei-san."

"You're welcome, Kaede-kun."

As Kaede left, Mei turned back into the operating room, looking deep in thought.


	10. Chapter 10

**Kaede Tsukiko 4**

* * *

"Oh, Kaede, there you are!" Maya exclaimed, wrapping her brother in a tight hug.

"Hi Maya-nee," Kaede said. He noticed another girl standing with Eri and Shana.

Noticing the younger boy's glance, Gabe waved. "Hi. I'm Gabe Ryder. I just joined your sister's team."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kaede."

"Guys, can we sit down and eat already? I'm starving!" Shana complained.

Eri added, "And Maya, you might want to let go of Kaede."

The redhead reluctantly pulled away from her brother.

"Thanks, Eri-senpai," Kaede said.

The four girls plus Kaede took a seat at one of the tables in the cafeteria. As the others picked at their lunch, Kaede asked, "Don't you have a B Rank Wars match coming up?"

"We do. We're against Kakizaki Squad and Nasu Squad," Eri replied.

"You faced both of them last year, right?"  
"Yep," Maya said. "And we're gonna win it this year!"

"How are your lessons with Takato-san?" Eri asked Kaede.

"Good! I'm learning a lot, Mei-san is a good teacher and she's really good at what she does," he replied.

"Didn't you run a practice battle for Kotowari Squad a couple days ago? I heard good things about you from Toby," Shana said.

"Takeshi also talked highly of you," Eri added.

Kaede looked surprised. "Really?"

Maya wrapped her brother in another hug. "Everyone else is just realizing how awesome you are." Kaede flushed and smiled sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Shana, not wanting to interrupt the siblings' moment, was trying to quietly wave over Kuni. She couldn't get the operator's attention though, so Shana resorted to her usual method. "Kuni!" she shouted.

The teal-haired operator finally noticed her teammate and made her way over to the table. Suddenly, Kuni is on the ground, laughing with a yellow caution sign next to her.

Shana jumped up and ran over, but Kuni had already gotten back to her feet. "Are you okay?" the American asked.

Kuni brushed herself off and replied, "I'm fine, just a slip." She laughed. "I should really pay more attention!"

When Kuni and Shana had taken their seats at the table, Gabe asked, "What were you in such a hurry about?"

"I got caught up talking with some of the other operators after the meeting, and I almost forgot we had a slot at Training Room C! I didn't want to be late!" Kuni replied.

"We have a slot at Training Room C?" Eri said.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you guys about that too, sorry!"

The other girls made various disgruntled sighs and groans. "Kuni…"

"Sorry Kaede, looks like we've gotta go," Maya said. "I'll see you after your lessons with Mei."

"See you then, Maya-nee." Kaede added, "And nice to meet you, Gabe."

"Yeah, you too, kid," Gabe replied.

Eri looked at Kuni. "We're going to be late, aren't we."

The operator awkwardly touched the back of her neck. "Yeah…"

Eri sighed. "Come on, let's try to be as punctual as possible."

As Tsukiko Squad left, Kuni protested, "I said I'm sorry!"

Kaede smiled to himself. It was never a dull day with his sister and her friends. He hoped to find a group of friends like them someday. He pulled out his phone and started playing a game to occupy himself until Mei met him for his lessons.

Just then, Kaede saw a scene flash in his mind, with a dark-haired girl slipping next to a fallen yellow caution sign. Wait, that's where Kuni fell! he realized. Almost instinctively, Kaede jumped up and ran over, just in time for the weight of a small person to land in his arms.

It was a dark-haired girl with sideswept bangs and amber eyes. She stared at Kaede for a moment. He momentarily thought, It's a good thing Suzume isn't here…

The girl jolted upright and turned away from Kaede, blushing wildly. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

"Um, are you okay?" Kaede asked hesitantly. His face felt hot. He tapped her shoulder and she jumped.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Th-thanks for catching me."

"O-of course, you're welcome." Silence hung in the air for a moment. "Um, I'm Kaede Tsukiko. You are?"

"Hana Toshiro," she said. "Are you a C Rank?"

"Kind of. I'm an operator trainee," Kaede replied. "Are you?"

"Yeah."

"Then maybe I'll see you around? Hopefully under better circumstances next time."

She nodded. "Yeah, hopefully."

"Hana!" a female voice shouted from across the cafeteria. A woman with the same dark hair and amber eyes as the girl across from Kaede came over to them and rested her elbow on Hana's shoulder. Having one himself, Kaede could always recognize someone's older sister.

"There you are," Hana's sister said.

Hana sighed. "But you're the late one, Rina."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!"

The two sisters began walking away, but Kaede saw Hana look back towards him, a soft smile on her face.

"Huh." Kaede sat back down and went to pull out his phone, but another person sat across from him.

Ever perceptive, Mei remarked, "Something happened."

Kaede felt a rush of embarrassment once more. "Ah, it was nothing! I, uh, caught a girl who fell."

"How chivalrous."

"It was, um, just sort of instinctive," Kaede said. "I mean, I saw it happening, so I couldn't just let her fall."

"You saw it happening?" Mei questioned. She noted that the slick patch by the fallen caution sign and Kaede's table were at least a few paces away.

"Yeah, I, uh, just kind of knew?" As he said it out loud, something occurred to Kaede. "It was kind of like yesterday, actually. During the practice battle, when I knew there was someone behind Kotowari-senpai?"

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday, about Side Effects?" Mei said.

"Yeah?"

"I think what happened was a manifestation of your Side Effect."

"Really?" Kaede said. "I don't think I'd have a Side Effect. I mean, I'm just an operator."

"You don't have to be a combatant to have a Side Effect. All you need is a high Trion level and some fortunate circumstances," Mei explained. "And according to your enlistment tests and what I've seen, you have both."

If there was one thing Mei Takato was known for, it was her intelligence. Kaede knew that if she was sure about something, it was probably right.

"I know you're still a little unsure, so how about you walk me through what happened earlier? Perhaps I can help clarify some things," she said.

"Um, okay. I was just sitting here, since my sister and her team had just left for a training thing. And then I saw in my head a girl slipping and falling, right at the same spot where Kuni-senpai had fallen before. So I got up and it worked out that I caught her?" Kaede sighed. "It makes less sense when I say it out loud…"

"I don't think so," Mei said. "I think it makes perfect sense."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's your Side Effect. After seeing an event occur, you know when it will happen again."

"Huh." Kaede smiled slightly. "That's… pretty cool, actually."

Mei smiled too. "Yes, it is, and you'll be able to experiment with it soon," she said. "But for today, how about we stick to something more comfortable? I have a game for today I think you'll like."

"Sounds good to me."


End file.
